Best Brushes for Contouring for Beginners, Intermediate and Advance!

I like to contour as much as the next guy (girl).  Contouring allows you to drop five pounds on your face, crave out your cheek bones, hide a double chin and leave you with a beautiful bronzy looking effect. However with that being said, using the wrong tools and bronzer shade can leaving you with a muddy or seriously burnt looking face.  Part of understanding contouring, is understanding the shape of your face.  Once you figure out what face shape you were naturally born with, you can then contour to your hearts desire.  

I have written before on the art of contouring and the makeup products needed to achieve this effect.  However, it takes more then just makeup to get a nice crisp bronzy look.  Makeup brushes are the number one items needed that will either make or break your look.  The biggest problems with makeup brushes is that the beauty industry has been inundated by them, that it is very easy to get lost in a sea of bristles.  Moreover some companies have so many brushes that a girl doesn't know which ones are appropriate to use based on skill levels.  So today, I am going to break it down for you, on what type of makeup brushes are useful depending on where your makeup "education" lies!

Brushes by Skill Level

When I first started out with makeup, I had NO clue what I was doing.  I remember getting a compact that had a blush, bronzer and highlighter, and rubbing the highlighter all over my face because I thought it was just another pretty face powder.  Well needless to say, I looked like a disco ball all day long.  To make matters worse, I applied it with a big round face powder brush that left highlighter on face, hair and neck.  It was just a royal mess.  But hey, at least bikers were able to see me that night when I went for a walk with the dog!  Thank God for Youtube where I was able to evolve and learn where to properly apply highlighter and with what brush.

When it comes to contouring, it isn't something you learn overnight.  It takes a lot of trial and error before you prefect the art.  Moreover, for beginners picking the right brush is everything.

Beginners

BCC F18 Short Duo Fibre Brush

For beginners, the best brush to start out with is a small and short duo fibre brush.  This small brush allows you to pick up minimal bronzer in order to avoid over doing it while you learn to contour.  Remember, its always easier to place more product on your face then it is to take off.  Applying a little at a time lets you see your progress and how well your contouring is turning out.  Due to the small head of this brush, the bristles fit right into the hollow of the cheeks giving you fool proof lines.  It also allows you to get into the outer hairline of your forehead without applying bronzer right into your hair.  This brush also helps to contour underneath your chin without getting it all over the place. What I like about duo fibre brushes; due to their long bristle head, they work amazingly to blend out your contour and make it seem flawless.  This brush is truly awesome for beginners who need to start out slowly and see their progress drawing lines as they move along.  

Intermediates   

BCC F16 Large Contour/Powder Brush

One thing I love about large tapered contour/powder brushes is their ability to place color right on the contour lines of your face.  They also work well to apply bronzer and blush to your cheeks.  Since tapered contour brushes are shaped with a dome pointed head, the bristles work wonders to apply makeup only in the areas intended. Furthermore, the pointed head leaves behind a beautiful wash of color in the places meant for contouring without making a harsh line.  The dome head also works to blend out the color while keeping it within the bounds of your contour lines.  I found that this brush works amazing when contouring the cheeks and jawbone.  Since our jaw runs along the rim of our lower face and mouth, at times a more fuller brush can deposit color to the lower cheeks leaving you with a muddy look.  A large tapered brush helps to minimize this issue by depositing color ONLY where needed.  The pointed head is great for those who have an intermediate level of bronzing and can contour and blend at the same time without getting bronzer in all the wrong places.  

Advanced

BCC F30 Sculpt Brush

When I finally learned how to contour with precision, I decided to play with the big boys of makeup brushes.  A sculpting brush; while can seem intimidating, when used correctly can leave you with nice precision lines on your cheek bones and jawline.  It works great to contour your forehead and temples.  Since the brush is made to be narrow and rectangular, it literally gets into the hollow of your cheeks with no problem.  The only issue with this brush is that if you lack the skills on how to contour, this brush will leave with the harshest line that a 737 plane can land on from up far.  Moreover, you need to know how to blend well in order to use this brush.  If not, your lines will stand out and look extremely unnatural.  Its best to play with this brush at home before testing it out in public.  I would only recommend this brush once you have mastered the art of contouring and are not intimidated by its usual shape.

BCC F21 Angled Contour Face Brush

Out of all the brushes, the one that has always stood out to me that can be used at any level is an Angled Contour Face Brush.  These brushes are made with kabuki bristles that are cut to an angular shape.  This brush works amazing to contour the whole face.  Moreover, since this brush is user friendly, it can contour, blend and buff your makeup all in one.  I find this brush to be the most versatile of them all and so user friendly.  This brush works great in the hands of beginners to expert level makeup lovers.  

So there you have it, the best type of makeup brushes to use from beginner level to advance for those who are looking to learning to contour or already have the art down packed.  Moreover, one of the best places to find all these brushes at is Blank Canvas Cosmetics.  Not just for their affordable prices and great quality, but because these brushes are truly professional makeup brushes that can afford you the best contour money can buy.  However, when it comes to learning the skill....Youtube baby! That's where we all go to learn the art!!

Keep Smiling!

Dayana